My Son
by la-hija-de-Dios
Summary: After equal rights have been declared for androids, Connor suddenly finds himself with no place to go. Hank thinks he should stay with him. After all, the couch is free, right? This is just a fluffy one-shot with fatherly-son goodness between Hank and Connor.


_Hi, there! My buddy (I'll call her zeki. artsy, which is_ _one of her pennames) got me sucked into Detroit. I just finished my first play-through last night. I was thrilled that I got the ending I was hoping for! Everyone (except Luther and the Jerrys) survived! Anyway, I was in a mood to write this. I saw a drawing on Pinterest that inspired me. :3 By the way, this is not slash. Hope you like it!_ Soli Deo gloria! :D

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Hank unlocked his front door and stepped inside. He flicked the light on. "Well, what are you waiting for?" Turning around, Hank noticed the slightly lost expression on Connor's face.

"Um. . . you, Lieutenant?" Connor may have deviated from his programming, but he still seemed to lack knowledge in the area of human behavior. "What are you asking me to do?"

Hank sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Do I need to spell it out for you?" He paused and said the next words at a ridiculously slow pace, as if he were speaking to a young child with extreme mental issues. "Come on in." Connor furrowed his brow and entered the building. When Hank saw that the android truly did not know why he was in Hank's living room, he gestured to the couch. "Sit down."

Connor complied silently. A small smile ghosted across his face.

After shutting and locking the door, Hank sank onto the couch. He propped up his feet on the coffee table in front of him. "Well, we made it."

"That we did, Lieutenant." Connor's voice sounded a bit relieved.

Hank scoffed, "Oh, for crying out loud! Call me by my name already."

Connor cocked his head in a way reminiscent of a dog. "Mr. Anderson?"

"Hank."

Connor appeared to think and said, "Okay . . . Hank."

The man relaxed and sprawled out on the couch. "That's better."

Connor watched him, increasingly aware of how much he had yet to learn about humans. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by something heavy landing on him. He glanced down to see Sumo lying in between him and Hank. The Saint Bernard had positioned his head on Connor's lap. The android carefully extended a hand and placed it on Sumo's fur. He stroked it gently.

"So, Connor, do you have a place to stay?"

Hank's unexpected voice startled him. He whipped his head up. "I had been commuting from CyberLife to the station. I am at present uncertain as to where I shall remain."

"You'll be here."

The words were spoken so matter-of-factly that Connor had to verify their veracity. He thought out his words. If he misspoke, he might offend Hank and never find out if the offer was genuine. "Are you inviting me to stay at your house?"

Hank seemed uncomfortable with the attention. "If you want to, that is." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Connor did not stop to consider a second time. "I—I would . . ." What should he say? Surely he, an android, could not be happy about circumstances good or bad. But was that not what the androids, his people, had stood up for? "That would make me happy. Thank you." This time, a full smile took over his face.

Hank was not sure how to deal with the emotion behind that—And wasn't that a funny thing? An android being emotional?—let alone continue the conversation. "You're welcome," he muttered gruffly. He stood. "I'll be back." He left the room.

Connor continued to pet Sumo. He could not compute this warmth he felt inside him. He was positive it did not come from the dog on top of him but suspected the dog was part of the reason for it. "Sumo?" he murmured softly, "is this what having a home feels like? What having a friend feels like?" His hand caressed the fur absently while he reflected. When he had started working with Hank, he never would have imagined he would actually grow fond of him. He realized that, sometime along the way, he had begun to regard Hank as less of a troublesome work partner and more as a respected friend, maybe even a father figure. Hank had shown him what was acceptable and what was not, which reactions were human-like, and the "why" behind emotions.

Connor had learned under his tutelage and had decided that, if any human were worth dying over, Hank was one of them. He might even be understanding why humans were so attached to each other. As messed up as Hank said the world was, some people in it cared about each other. Connor would need more input before coming to a definite conclusion, but he believed Hank might have become like a father to him. After all, fathers treated their children with affection and warmth, wanting the best for them. Was that not what Hank did?

Connor found himself feeling at ease. _Is this emotion what humans call relaxed?_ He propped up his head on his hand. After the long and—dare he think it?—stressful day, he could imagine no better place to be. He sighed happily. He had a lot of contemplation to do in the morning. However, he would soon need to charge. He was 97.648% sure Hank would not mind his couch being occupied over the night. His eyelids closed.

~0-0~

Hank pulled a t-shirt over his torso. "That's better," he declared." Now dressed in a pair of shorts and a cotton t-shirt, he was far comfier. Hopefully the arduous events of the most recent days would not affect his sleep pattern. _Speaking of sleep. . ._ _I wonder if androids even sleep? It'd be creepy to wake up and see him just standing in the corner._

He pulled open the door to his bedroom and strode out. He'd offer the couch for tonight. "Connor, what do you thi—" he paused. Connor was in mostly the same position as before. The only difference was that he was slumbering with his head propped up on his hand. His LED light shone a light blue. Sumo, perfectly content, was lazing on his legs. It seemed Connor had been petting him when he fell asleep.

"I guess the couch suits you just fine," Hank mumbled. _So they_ can _fall asleep._ He smiled. Connor had certainly changed his mind about androids. If the man didn't know any better, he'd think the kid was human. Connor had wormed his way into Hank's heart. _My son._ Hank froze. Where had that thought come from? He paused. Maybe, if Cole had lived, he would've been like Connor. His lips turned upward in a sad smile. He may not have his first son, but he had Connor. If he didn't take care of the android, who would? Someone had to.


End file.
